Wednesday, 16 September 2009

Day 42

I came home tonight, looked up at the pull up bar and wondered if I had lost the strength to do them. Without thinking about it I pumped out 16 which is close to my max and was pleased to feel quite strong. I guess the heavy weight work is paying off.

Dare I say though that I'm getting a little bored of Chalene workouts. I like the music and her energy but it is geared too much for women. The more my interest grows to doing jiu jitsu the more I feel I'm just going through the motions with Chalene. To be honest, it is not really challenging me, I treat it more like a maintenance program. The thing is, the idea of not completing something annoys me so I want to stick it out for another 6 weeks to complete 3 months. I'm halfway. Then I can do Insanity, but I hear people say Insanity is boring and admittedly the workouts look the same. I've been toying with the idea of joining the local jiu jitsu club soon and filling in the remaining days with Insanity, Tabata training and heavy lifts like squats and deadlifts. It takes something like 10 years to get a black belt and because I'm 37 I know I have to start asap. Not that that is all there is to if for me.

I've had a recurring pain in my lower abdomen which I got checked at the doctors. He did several tests, urinary tract x-ray to check for calcium stones, ultrasound, hernias and also my prostate. All were fine which I was very glad to hear. I still dont know what the pain is. I've had it for a few years and it comes and goes. I'm just glad it isn't serious - probably some muscle or skeletal strain related problem. That's one thing I like about Japan, the health system is top notch and you can get treated in the blink of an eye.

Healthwise I am in really good shape. My resting heart rate and blood pressure is at an all time low and I have veins popping out of places I never knew I had. Belly fat still refuses to leave the room and I am eating more carbs that I would like, especially around Thursdays when I work my arse off cycling, Chalene and martial arts. I'm really enjoying life right now and wonder how I manage when I don't exercise. Probably comfort eat and play online games while trying to forget my expanding waist line. Getting in shape opens up so much in life. If I had not started P90X back at the start of summer I would never have considered getting back into martial arts. I can't wait until late spring, too. So that I can go out camping in the mild weather. Here is a vid my friend sent me of Krav Maga, a martial art I'd seriously like to train.

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About Me

I started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in October 2009 after getting fit using P90X. Ive done a number of martial arts since I was 13 years old; Karate (Wado-Ryu, Shotokan), Aikido, Boxing, Pancrase and Kendo. I started BJJ because I've always had an interest in submission techniques. I am currently a black belt under Shinsuke Fukuzumi. My initial goal for doing BJJ was to become tough and improve my self-defence skills. This has changed quite a bit and I now find myself doing BJJ more for the enjoyment and health aspect. I maintain a steady weight of 73 to 74 kg and sometimes compete under Leve (lightweight).
I try to train 3-4 times a week while balancing a busy full time job and meet the demands of my 3 young kids.
BJJ Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rickson Gracie > Marcelo Behring > Waldomiro Perez > Roberto Godoi > Marco Barbosa>Shinsuke Fukuzumi